The All Guardsmen Party

[Fable Wright]

...Words do not exist to describe this situation. Was Oak branded a rogue while they were on mission? Was everything they ever did for him illegal?

And more importantly, how is it possible to get out of this mess?

[DireSickFish]

...Words do not exist to describe this situation. Was Oak branded a rogue while they were on mission? Was everything they ever did for him illegal?

And more importantly, how is it possible to get out of this mess?

A lot more succinct than the "Bwhahaha?!" I was going with. Going to be sad when it ends.

[Slipperychicken]

...Words do not exist to describe this situation. Was Oak branded a rogue while they were on mission? Was everything they ever did for him illegal?

And more importantly, how is it possible to get out of this mess?

Maybe Oak was always handing out fake rosettes to his inquisitors-in-training? Or maybe he was declared rogue for backing up Sarge after everything that happened on the tyranid mission. Either way, it seems like the AGP's shenanigans (especially Sarge admitting that he had a tyranid on board) are finally catching up with them.


The best outcome I see is, after AGP and Oak get purged, someone takes the OB and studies it instead of just crashing it into a sun like they probably should. That thing is pretty much a menagerie of improvisation, tech-heresy, xeno-tech, and unique warp phenomena.

[Cluedrew]

Also in reply to DMofDarkness: I think that post has been quoted enough now.
If I would have to guess I would say that Oak was legitimate, but he has been planning to go rogue for quite some time now. I could see missions as far back as Discount Spaceship being Oak preparing for something. Or perhaps he just does "some things on the side" and the Tyranid things got handed to the All Guardsmen Party because Oak knew they were like this: "Ours is not to ask why, ours is to do and to die." That is to say they wouldn't ask any questions and get the job done. Both turned out to be true. Either way I would say Oak got found out before the space station incident certainly and at the earliest immediately before he issued the Tyranid orders and called in the Space Marines (before the Space Marines found out).

As for how they get out of this, the inquisition is probably going to investigate them and the party will either be cleared or given a second chance. Both because of a few references to a "tribunal" in the backwards facing narration and because in this situation anything else would just result in them disappearing. I suppose a breakout is possible, especially is someone makes the mistake of throwing them into the same facility as the Interplanetary Man of Mystery. However it happens I expect the next ark will be them getting out of this situation and the one after will be them dealing with Oak. That isn't certain of course so I guess we will just have to wait to find out.

[Ravens_cry]

I'll be honest, this update kind of dragged on. I just wanted them to be done with the damn 'Nid!
Though you probably felt the same yourselves. The twist at the end was certainly unexpected, though fitting.

[MintyNinja]

Just wrapped up to current (Tyranid Delivery 2) and I have to say... wow.

I know knew next to nothing about 40K, other than "Space Marines is a thing(?)" and this was absolutely amazing. Please keep it up.

[Brookshw]

The story is certainly remaining as gripping as I could hope! You're DM has certainly done a fantastic job with the setting and game so far from what I can see and that's a great cast of characters the players have put up.

Given this is 40K and we're nearing the end I'm a bit scared now, there's really only one way things end it 40K and it's not puppies and rainbows normally (unless they're, dunno, chaos nurgling puppies and some newish fangled necron rainbow death beam maybe, or some Slaanesh nonsense). Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised but given how close to the setting the DM's playing this....

[Poblobo]

I'm worried about what's going to happen now...

[ReaderAt2046]

Well, I've been having AGP-style problems in the Only War campaign I'm in. The GM seems to be trying to run a murder-mystery campaign, but we're a bunch of mudfooted guardsmen who are playing like mudfooted guardsmen, which means we're missing all his subtle clues and just standing around while random monsters pop out of the woodwork to attack us.

Any suggestions on how we can get the plot moving again?

[Cluedrew]

Well, if my analysis of the all Guardsmen Party would entrench, then wait for monsters to pop out of the woodwork and finally apply lazfire until the problem goes away.

Or you could see if you could get everyone on board with changing up the campaign a little bit, get some NPC brains on board or drop the mystery.

[DireSickFish]

Well, if my analysis of the all Guardsmen Party would entrench, then wait for monsters to pop out of the woodwork and finally apply lazfire until the problem goes away.

Or you could see if you could get everyone on board with changing up the campaign a little bit, get some NPC brains on board or drop the mystery.

Don't forget detpacks and massive amounts of paranoia.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

but we're a bunch of mudfooted guardsmen who are playing like mudfooted guardsmen, which means we're missing all his subtle clues and just standing around while random monsters pop out of the woodwork to attack us.

I think a subtle difference here is that the all guardsmen party doesn't just stand around. They run away, or spout crazy theories, or shoot anything that moves. When there are no monsters popping out of the woodwork they loot the room, and the rest of the base, or they "secure" the perimeter, or...

Maybe try to have characters who like to do things. Doesn't really matter what things. If a character keeps hitting on NPC's or likes to ride his motorcross bike around the base or keeps finding injured animals to heal back to health that's a way to have fun and to stumble into plot hooks. You can see over the course of the (early) all guardsmen party adventures that they adopt this playstyle more and more. In the beginning Heavy just sleeps when nothing's happening. When there's downtime at the end one of them is planning a mission and getting NPC's to coöperate, one is playing doctor, one is building gadgets, one is stealing stuff and one is preemptively blowing stuff up. In a way they're taking the setting hostage: make something interesting happen or our ability to screw up gets its next boost. But most importantly it gives the DM ways to interact with the characters on their level. He can advance the mystery plot by getting a team of assassins blown up by your boobytraps. He can hand you an important item by having a shady person pay with it when buying stolen goods, he can throw the kid of the angry general you're supposed to get in trouble with again under your motorcycle. The convoluted plot that makes the setting interesting intersects with the more straightforward world of the lowly guardsmen that makes the game cool to play.

[Cluedrew]

Hey, I check the posting itself every once in a while. Sometimes when I want to read the story, others times just to check for a progress report. Anyways this time I noticed something.

You actually did you my chapter titles, thank-you Shoggy sir, I am honoured. The All Guardsmen Party is the gold standard of campaign journals that I aspire to and I am happy to be a part of it, even if only in a small way.

Oh and even though it was posted a month ago, since I am already making a post I will chime in that I like Lvl 2 Expert's analysis of how the Guardsmen manage to be interesting, without really being proactive.

[Shoggy]

Hey, I check the posting itself every once in a while. Sometimes when I want to read the story, others times just to check for a progress report.

Since you're checking status, the first part (of the first part) of the next chapter has been posted on /tg/, and I'll be getting the archive and this thread updated on Monday probably.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Hoy hoy, an update!

[NRSASD]

Ah man, what a place to leave us....

Also, that ork weirdboy was a thing of pure beauty. Compliments to your GM!

[Cluedrew]

To Shoggy: Thank-you, but I'm going to wait for the full official release. I enjoy reading these things in "bursts" more often and I have nearly infinite patience. Not actually infinite, so that might change, but for now that is the plan.

[Shoggy]

Well it's only half a chapter, and even then it still isn't properly finished. But if you'd rather not wait until next week, here's:

The All Guardsmen Party: The [REDACTED] Conspiracy, Part .75
Shiny new HTML link: http://www.theallguardsmenparty.com/redacted.html

[Lvl 2 Expert]

[Lhyonnaes]

Always happy to see more AGP. A continual source of laughs and inspiration.

[Cluedrew]

Hey, I just came up from a one shot role-playing game set in the dregs of the army. You know the guys that get sent in when they don't want to send in anyone they care about. The premise range some bells in my head so I ended up playing a hybrid of Nubbie and Twitch named Jabar. By far the character with most personality in the whole group (impressively, the one introduced as "generic soldier 7" did pretty well).

The highlight was when Jabar handed the superior officer demanding the contraband a package labeled "cigarettes". But the time the officer got the necessary bandages and reinforcements the contraband had mysteriously disappeared.

[Shoggy]

Okay, for real this time:

The All Guardsmen Party: The [REDACTED] Conspiracy
http://www.theallguardsmenparty.com/redacted.html

[Cluedrew]

Well, I must say "the surprise twist" actually surprised me because why would things ever go right for the All Guardsmen Party. I found the scene with the singer interesting, because that would have turned out so differently in almost story. As for where this is going next ... well that is only the 3rd worst working relationship with a superior they have ever had.

A good read once again.

[Lord Raziere]

Second Inquisitor?

who does he mean? the first one didn't seem to stand out, the second one was the ridiculously stereotypical british guy with little common sense, there was a third who was female and evil, the fourth a james bond parody who manipulated luck, then at some point ridiculously british guy returned....and I lost track until Sarge became an Inquisitor.

this guy doesn't seem to match any of those that I remember, because ridiculously british guy always parted with them on friendly terms so......I've no idea who the narration is talking about.

[Cluedrew]

If I am counting (and remembering) correctly, this is their second inquisitor.

[Shoggy]

Well, I must say "the surprise twist" actually surprised me because why would things ever go right for the All Guardsmen Party. I found the scene with the singer interesting, because that would have turned out so differently in almost story. As for where this is going next ... well that is only the 3rd worst working relationship with a superior they have ever had.

A good read once again.

Glad you liked it, we giggled at how the Eldar Waifu Wat Do scene went.

The next chapter is a big return to the whole "We hate our boss, and this job, we don't want to be here" theme.

Second Inquisitor?

who does he mean? the first one didn't seem to stand out, the second one was the ridiculously stereotypical british guy with little common sense, there was a third who was female and evil, the fourth a james bond parody who manipulated luck, then at some point ridiculously british guy returned....and I lost track until Sarge became an Inquisitor.

this guy doesn't seem to match any of those that I remember, because ridiculously british guy always parted with them on friendly terms so......I've no idea who the narration is talking about.

First guy was an over-enthusiastic I AM THE HAND OF GOD, I WILL PURGE ALL THE EVIL type guy, who got his ass thrown in the brig when he tried to boss around a ship's captain.

The Second guy was a pure data-analyzer, like Mycroft Holmes, except far more of an *******. He did a pretty good job of figuring out the big psyker-smuggling plot, but was a jerk to the party.

Third guy was the Rupert.

Fourth was Nubby's girlfriend.

Fifth was the Rupert again.

Sixth was Oak's personal assistant who handled his training camps, he was far too busy to actually interact with the party.

Seventh was Bane Johns.

[ReaderAt2046]

WOW what a story! So happy to see the Sock Puppets make their return. Really sad that the party screwed up the encounter with the Eldar, though it was kind of nice to see their cynicism bite them in the ass for once.

Just how many wounds did that Daemonid have? Seriously, that thing took a ridiculous amount of punishment.

[Shoggy]

Just how many wounds did that Daemonid have? Seriously, that thing took a ridiculous amount of punishment.

I'm not really sure, because, among other things, it had a lot of regeneration going on. I think it was probably something ridiculously large to start with (its shield soaked like 200 bolt rounds, which means 3000ish damage) and then the DM was tracking some sort of big mana pool behind the scenes.

I think we surprised him when we decided to split the party, I'm betting he was originally planning to have us dog-pile the Daemonthrope with the marines, then chase it into the base. Or go into the base while the Marines tanked it themselves.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

What? this isn't even the end! There is more all guardsmen party! All hail the all guardsmen party!

I have to admit, the shipride with the bug had me kind of worried. The adventures of running down the corridors squad just didn't seem quite as entertaining to me as the previous adventures. But this one absolutely made up for it.

Another admission: after the bug teleported to the hilltop I was half expecting to see the insect ship they sent into the warp reappear as some sort of giant abomination. I'm kind of glad the party is still alive though.

[DireSickFish]

So is Sarge still an Inquisitor? Will that mean he has equal authority to this new guy? Or is the new guy in charge of them all.